For Better or for Worse
by sofiaibat
Summary: After the events of whatever happens in Season 4, Sherlock realizes that John may not be around 221B anymore, and out of loneliness, adopts an Irish Setter, just about to leave the puppy years, and names him Redbeard, like the Irish Setter he had as a child. Before he knows it, things beyond his control happens, and he is along for the ride. Johnlock as well as a new Redbeard.


**Chapter 1:**

**Achievements in the Companion Category**

Sherlock gazed at the fireplace thinking hard about the idea that had been toying with his mind for almost a week. Ever since the deal with Magnussen and that hacker who pretended to be Moriarty, John had been spending time less and less time with Sherlock and more time with Mary, leaving Sherlock to play Cluedo with the boring Mrs. Hudson. Sherlock didn't want to admit to himself that he was lonely, but it was hard not to when your only company was a dull and tottering old woman. Sherlock missed solving crimes with John, it beat any other option, but now John was going to be a father, and then Sherlock would never see him.

"_Well you'll hardly need me around when you've got a real baby on the way."_

He sighed, and flopped back into the armchair, now staring up at the ceiling. When he had said it to them, he was somewhere near the equivalent of happiness, but he had slowly understood that it was really true. John and Mary couldn't deal with both him and a baby. Sherlock calculated that they would visit sometime after the child became easier to manage. Finally he decided he would go with what he wanted to do, jumped up, put on his coat and left 221B shouting: "I'll be back by the afternoon, probably not alone!" to Mrs. Hudson and hailing a cabbie.

About a half an hour later, Sherlock walked into the entrance of the shelter and observed the dogs that were watching him, looking for a certain breed. Finally he found what he was looking for. An Irish Setter, the same breed as his old dog, Redbeard. This one was much younger, probably about to leave the puppy years behind. Good, because Sherlock couldn't take care of a puppy.

"Excuse me sir, I think I'm going with this one!" He yelled to the manager, never letting his eyes leave the dog. He decided to name it Redbeard in honor of the original, and after filling out the necessary forms, he walked out with Redbeard in his arms. The dog was still fairly small, and could be carried around easily, and could be trained to help with cases. He didn't bother to buy pet food, since Mrs. Hudson always had some for any strays that stopped by, and instead got into a cab and said: "221B, Baker Street." On the ride over, Redbeard squirmed and Sherlock held him awkwardly until he held the dog close, and Redbeard fell asleep.

When Sherlock reached the door, he found that he couldn't use the knocker when his arms were full. Not sure how to proceed, he kicked the door as hard as possible, trying not to wake the sleeping animal. It was several long and boring seconds before the door opened and Mrs. Hudson let out a squeal when her eyes rested on Redbeard. She let him in, practically bubbling with excitement. Sherlock rolled his eyes in annoyance as she closed the door and she rushed to go in front of him. Her face was stern but her eyes continued to sparkle.

"Now dear, you better not starve that animal like you starve yourself, and don't go off and abandon it while you're on a case. I can take care of him in these instances, but remember, I'm your landlady, not your housekeeper. Make sure you walk him, and feed him, and -"

"Yes, I know how to care of a dog Mrs. Hudson, I had one when I was younger." Sherlock snapped, and started heading up the stairs.

"I'll bring up a dish with some food for him!" She called as he closed the door behind him. She sighed and headed back to the kitchen. Maybe this dog could shut Sherlock up. She looked around for the proper dog food, and once she found it, she poured it out onto a plate and headed up to the flat.

Sherlock had put the sleeping Redbeard in John's old armchair and studied him. There was nothing remarkable about the animal, except for the fact that one eye was brown and the other was green, which he had noticed at the shelter. Slowly the dog woke up and sat straight up, turning its mismatched eyes on the detective. They stared at each other, and even though Sherlock knew it was unwise to look an animal in the eyes for too long, he continued to watch Redbeard.

There was a knock at the door and Mrs. Hudson came in with a small white plate with dog food on it. She put it on the kitchen floor and Redbeard leapt off of the chair and ran to the food, immediately starting to eat. She chuckled at sat in John's chair, in which Sherlock narrowed his eyes slightly. Only John could sit there. It had been somewhat okay when he put Redbeard there, but Mrs. Hudson couldn't sit _there_. She ignored his barely noticeable anger and put her hands on her lap.

"I figured he'd want to eat something, and you should too Sherlock. Here, I made you a cuppa." She said, leaning forward, and putting a mug on the little table next to his chair. He didn't look at it, and gave a short nod. She sighed, got up, gave Sherlock a pat on the shoulder and left saying: "Why don't you give John a call or look through your emails for a case? I can take care of your dog for a bit."

After the door closed, Sherlock fully leaned into his chair, staring fully at the ceiling. John was most likely at the clinic, or with Mary, so that was out of the question. He grabbed the tea that Mrs. Hudson made him and stalked to the kitchen, walking past Redbeard, who was still eating madly. He poured the tea into the sink and placed the cup next to it, walking past Redbeard muttering: "I don't know why she bothers when I don't want food."

The detective surveyed the flat, walking briskly to his fireplace and picking up his skull. He looked at it long and hard, and resisted the temptation to throw it across the room. As his brother would say:

_"Don't throw a tantrum, little brother. It deceives all reasoning."_

Sherlock didn't even know why he was so annoyed. Maybe it was Mrs. Hudson bringing up John. _Didn't the foolish woman see that he got Redbeard to find a new companion?_ He thought fervently. She was probably right though, a case would do him good. As he walked to his room to fetch his laptop, Redbeard made a loud whining sound and Sherlock paused. The other Redbeard had never done this. Or maybe it was a puppy thing? He ignored it and grabbed the computer, and upon entering the room, the whining stopped. He froze and looked at Redbeard, puzzled. He went back into his room, and as soon as he lost sight of the dog, the whining started up.

_Curious._

He re-entered the room and Redbeard stopped whining and ran up to him ecstatically, placing his front paws on Sherlock's legs. The pale man crouched down and the animal got closer, trying to lick the detective's face. The other Redbeard had done this too, but it had been so long that Sherlock was quite startled and moved back a bit. He needed…_help_ with this. From someone with sentiment. John? No.

"Mrs. Hudson!" He shouted, standing up and striding to his chair, Redbeard following happily. She came in a few moments later to find Sherlock sitting in his chair, with his new pet curled around his feet. When he saw her, he closed his laptop and attempted to stand up, but seeing Redbeard curled around his feet, he gave up.

"Ah, Mrs. Hudson. When I went to get my laptop, I noticed something interesting. As soon as I lost sight of Redbeard, he started whining, but when I came back into sight it stopped. Did I do something wrong, or…?" He trailed off, and Mrs. Hudson realized that for the first time in what seemed forever, Sherlock Holmes was uncertain.

"Oh Sherlock dear, you did nothing wrong. It just seems that, Redbeard has become attached to you." His eyebrow rose to the ceiling and he puffed, annoyed. Acknowledging that Sherlock was having a sulking moment, she smiled and went back stairs, fully knowing what he had done with his cup of tea.

The unsentimental detective looked at the besotted animal and gave it an uncertain pat on the head which was rewarded with a lick and Sherlock found himself beaming down at the animal. He picked Redbeard up and put him on his lap, ignoring the dog's weight. Redbeard turned around started licking his face and Sherlock started laughing and stroking the red fur of his new companion. _Yes, you'll do very well. Very well indeed._

He hadn't noticed the door opening and he heard someone clear his throat. Sherlock looked up and found himself surprised again. John was standing awkwardly, giving an uncomfortable smile to his friend. Sherlock stood up and Redbeard jumped off and went to examine the man that his owner was so interested in.

"John."

"Hi Sherlock."


End file.
